Computer Science Test 3 Nddc Scholarship

Sharing your password compromises the 'accountability' aspect of security. Once another person has your credentials, they have full authority to act as you, which includes the ability to maliciously delete or alter your files. Because the system sees the action as being performed by the account owner, it becomes extremely difficult to prove that a third party was responsible for the data loss.

A computer virus is a type of malicious software that, when executed, replicates itself by inserting copies into other computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive. This self-replicating nature allows it to spread from one computer to another, often performing harmful activities such as stealing data, crashing the system, or logging keystrokes.

BitLocker is a full-disk encryption security feature included with professional versions of Windows. It uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm to scramble all data on a drive. This ensures that even if a laptop is physically stolen and the hard drive is removed, the data remains unreadable to anyone who does not possess the correct recovery password or decryption key.

Active scripting refers to technologies that allow a web browser to execute code locally to create interactive and dynamic content. JavaScript is the most common example, enabling features like form validation, animations, and real-time updates without reloading the entire page. While powerful for user experience, it must be managed carefully by the browser to prevent malicious cross-site scripting attacks.

Data in transit is highly vulnerable because it travels through various intermediate nodes, routers, and switches that may not be secure. Without encryption, this information can be intercepted via 'packet sniffing' or 'man-in-the-middle' attacks. Therefore, network transmission is always considered a considerable security risk that requires secure protocols like HTTPS or VPNs for proper protection.

A firewall acts as a security gateway that monitors and filters all incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a defined set of security rules. It determines whether to allow or block specific traffic to prevent unauthorized access. By sitting between a private internal network and the public internet, it prevents hackers from gaining entry to sensitive internal data.

Ethics in computing requires respecting the privacy and security of others. Discovering a vulnerability or a password accidentally does not grant a user the right to exploit it. The only correct course of action is 'responsible disclosure,' which means notifying the owner of the account immediately so they can secure their information and prevent potential misuse by others who might find it.

A 'patch' is a piece of software designed to update a computer program to fix security vulnerabilities or 'bugs.' Many large-scale cyberattacks succeed not because of new 'zero-day' exploits, but because organizations fail to apply available security patches in a timely manner, leaving known 'holes' open for hackers to enter and deploy their malware.

At its core, a hardware firewall is a specialized appliance that runs highly optimized firewall software. By using dedicated hardware rather than a general-purpose computer, these devices can process network traffic much faster and are more resistant to attacks. They provide a robust layer of protection for an entire local network at the entry point of the internet connection.

Asymmetric encryption, also known as Public Key Cryptography, uses a pair of mathematically related keys: a 'public key' for encryption and a 'private key' for decryption. This solves the complex problem of key distribution, as the public key can be shared openly with anyone, while the private key remains secret with the owner to safely unlock the messages.